Thursday, January 31, 2008
Practical 9: The Final Countdown
Time flies and it is now nearing the end.. of the semester, that is. We have walked down the learning path for UIR in the past 6 months and i personally, have learnt much during this short span of time.
6 months ago, you say 'Metacrawler', i say 'What?!', you say 'wetpaint', i say 'Huh?!', you say 'blogspot', i say 'heard before... but never tried it.'
6 months later, i say metacrawler can do specific searches, you say 'what?!', i say wetpaint can post topic and read other sharer's postings, you say 'huh?!'. Big difference in a short span of time.
6 months ago, you say 'Metacrawler', i say 'What?!', you say 'wetpaint', i say 'Huh?!', you say 'blogspot', i say 'heard before... but never tried it.'
6 months later, i say metacrawler can do specific searches, you say 'what?!', i say wetpaint can post topic and read other sharer's postings, you say 'huh?!'. Big difference in a short span of time.
Practical 8: APA Citation & Bibliography
During the course of my lesson this week, i learnt the appropriate way to key in my biblography. The group as a whole edited our biblography with the APA citation style. At the end of the day, i feel more confident in handling resources and keying in their bibliography with ease.
All in all, the resources were all compiled successfully as the group finished keying in their bibliography. We then began to tie up the remaining work and finish the project before the submission next week.
All in all, the resources were all compiled successfully as the group finished keying in their bibliography. We then began to tie up the remaining work and finish the project before the submission next week.
Practical 7: E-Learning Week 2
Having 2 weeks of E-learning activity on Wetpaint, i feel i am more experienced in the usage of the wetpaint. I was quite impressed with the way wetpaint works and the ease with which i was able to edit and key in my research entries. It provides a channel for communication within the group as we would know the different areas of research done by each member and it ensures that there would not be an overlap in data or the websites that have already been used by a member for research.
Due to the flexibility of the Wetpaint, we were able to view other students’ work. Using the beeter ones as a guideline, it helps us to ensure that we do not go out of track/topic. We are able to widen our knowledge by using other groups as a reference point to better our own work.
To sum things up, Wetpaint rather user-friendly except for the distracting toolbar covering a part of the screen which, in my opinion, hinders me when i am doing the keying of entries and editing. It would be better to have a little more guidance/ instructions on the topic criteria that we have to fill in for our entries. As we are allowed to fill in almost anything related to our topic, the margin for error is rather wide as we do not have a specific guideline to follow and it would be easy to write out of topic if we are not careful.
Due to the flexibility of the Wetpaint, we were able to view other students’ work. Using the beeter ones as a guideline, it helps us to ensure that we do not go out of track/topic. We are able to widen our knowledge by using other groups as a reference point to better our own work.
To sum things up, Wetpaint rather user-friendly except for the distracting toolbar covering a part of the screen which, in my opinion, hinders me when i am doing the keying of entries and editing. It would be better to have a little more guidance/ instructions on the topic criteria that we have to fill in for our entries. As we are allowed to fill in almost anything related to our topic, the margin for error is rather wide as we do not have a specific guideline to follow and it would be easy to write out of topic if we are not careful.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Practical 6b: E-Learning Week
Internet Discussion Forum page: http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic5289.html
URL used for evaluation: http://www.iavi.org/
Similar to the ARA, the IAVI's goals are clearly defined in their mission statement. Their mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. The main objective for the IAVI is to be a global not-for-profit, public-private partnership working to accelerate the development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.
This website is very well-covered and comprehensive as well. On the IAVI itself, the website tells us about the IAVI centres in Africa, Europe and India and the researches and clinical trials that they have gone through to contribute to the society there.
They are also calling out to the public through the link; 'How to help'. This resource provides information of how the public can help, from donating to just being informed and spreading the word, or to volunteer for a vaccine trial or even host a fundraiser for AIDs vaccine research.
Although this site is not as user-friendly as the previous one, this site is still easily accessible and does not require any registration nor log-ins unless you wish to have access to daily updates and email alerts. All information are available, as long as you know where to find due to the confusing set-up, and are accessible for free. There is also a small number of relevant links related to HIV and Aids.
This site has a short list of headings but a long list of sub-headings for certain headings. The headings and sub-headings are listed vertically at the left side of each page. However, for pages under certain sub-heading, there are sub-headings at the top of the page as well. Each information is classified under each appropriate headings/sub-headings most of the time. However, due to the confusing set-up and the number of data files, navigation around the website is not easy. The information found is usually in chunks, hidden in certain areas, and is usually very technical.
However, in the case where users cannot find the information that they are looking for, this site also provides a site map which acts as a guide to aid them in finding the information they want. Also provided in this well-covered website is; the 'Conference & Events', which states the conferences and events that have been planned, and 'Publications & Resources' for the latest publications on AIDS/HIV, for interested users.
All in all, after going through this website, i feel that it is still a quite user-friendly website for surface-information searching, just to grasp what this site is about and what vaccine is about. However, for in-depth information such as which stage the vaccine has progressed and its progression, navigating around the website is much harder as one has to go through the confusing set-up and do a search through each file manually to get the information needed. As stated earlier, the necessary in-depth information is usually found in chunks and hidden in certain areas of the website. Thus, to successfully get the information required, one has to be patient enough to run through the confusing sub-headings and to sieve through a number of thick data files.
URL used for evaluation: http://www.iavi.org/
Similar to the ARA, the IAVI's goals are clearly defined in their mission statement. Their mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. The main objective for the IAVI is to be a global not-for-profit, public-private partnership working to accelerate the development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.
This website is very well-covered and comprehensive as well. On the IAVI itself, the website tells us about the IAVI centres in Africa, Europe and India and the researches and clinical trials that they have gone through to contribute to the society there.
They are also calling out to the public through the link; 'How to help'. This resource provides information of how the public can help, from donating to just being informed and spreading the word, or to volunteer for a vaccine trial or even host a fundraiser for AIDs vaccine research.
Although this site is not as user-friendly as the previous one, this site is still easily accessible and does not require any registration nor log-ins unless you wish to have access to daily updates and email alerts. All information are available, as long as you know where to find due to the confusing set-up, and are accessible for free. There is also a small number of relevant links related to HIV and Aids.
This site has a short list of headings but a long list of sub-headings for certain headings. The headings and sub-headings are listed vertically at the left side of each page. However, for pages under certain sub-heading, there are sub-headings at the top of the page as well. Each information is classified under each appropriate headings/sub-headings most of the time. However, due to the confusing set-up and the number of data files, navigation around the website is not easy. The information found is usually in chunks, hidden in certain areas, and is usually very technical.
However, in the case where users cannot find the information that they are looking for, this site also provides a site map which acts as a guide to aid them in finding the information they want. Also provided in this well-covered website is; the 'Conference & Events', which states the conferences and events that have been planned, and 'Publications & Resources' for the latest publications on AIDS/HIV, for interested users.
All in all, after going through this website, i feel that it is still a quite user-friendly website for surface-information searching, just to grasp what this site is about and what vaccine is about. However, for in-depth information such as which stage the vaccine has progressed and its progression, navigating around the website is much harder as one has to go through the confusing set-up and do a search through each file manually to get the information needed. As stated earlier, the necessary in-depth information is usually found in chunks and hidden in certain areas of the website. Thus, to successfully get the information required, one has to be patient enough to run through the confusing sub-headings and to sieve through a number of thick data files.
Practical 6a: Discuss the developments in Aids Research
URL used for evaluation: http://www.aidsresearch.org/
The Aids Research Alliance(ARA)'s goals is clearly defined in their mission and vision statement. Their vision is to create a future in which HIV and its effects on health are eliminated and new infections are prevented. The main objective for this alliance is to develop a cure for HIV/AIDS, medical modalities to prevent new infections and better treatments for those living with HIV.
This website is very well covered and comprehensive. On the individual level of the company, the resources available range from History to Strategic Plans, Mission and Vision of the company, Press Releases and Publications. On a another level, they are calling to the public through the link; 'Calling for donations and volunteers'. This resource provides information of what can be donated; from a donation of labour to providing for their material-needs.
They are also introducing their research to the public through the website. From introducing their own research to opening their research scope by asking for public’s submission of research proposal, they hope to open more channels for information on Aids/HIV and their potential cure/deterrant medication. To help facilitate better understanding, this website not only includes easy-to-understand medical information(without too many technical terms) for public, they also came up with quizzes to help aid understanding.
This user-friendly site is easily accessible and does not require any registration nor log-ins. All information are accessible for free. This site is easy to use and there is a wide range of relevant links related to HIV and Aids. Complement this with their list of headings and sub-headings, which are listed vertically at the left side of each page and informations are well classified under each appropriate headings/sub-headings, makes it easy to navigate around the website
In the case where users cannot find the information that they are looking for, this site provides a site index which acts as a guide to aid them in finding the information they want. Also provided in this well-covered website is; the 'Events Calendar', which states the events that have been planned for the coming months, and the latest publications on AIDS/HIV, for interested users.
To sum things up, my first impression of this website is that it is a user-friendly website which allows the user easy navigation. What makes this website even better is that it is also hassle-free(does not require registration nor log-ins) and the information is well-classified and detailed.
The Aids Research Alliance(ARA)'s goals is clearly defined in their mission and vision statement. Their vision is to create a future in which HIV and its effects on health are eliminated and new infections are prevented. The main objective for this alliance is to develop a cure for HIV/AIDS, medical modalities to prevent new infections and better treatments for those living with HIV.
This website is very well covered and comprehensive. On the individual level of the company, the resources available range from History to Strategic Plans, Mission and Vision of the company, Press Releases and Publications. On a another level, they are calling to the public through the link; 'Calling for donations and volunteers'. This resource provides information of what can be donated; from a donation of labour to providing for their material-needs.
They are also introducing their research to the public through the website. From introducing their own research to opening their research scope by asking for public’s submission of research proposal, they hope to open more channels for information on Aids/HIV and their potential cure/deterrant medication. To help facilitate better understanding, this website not only includes easy-to-understand medical information(without too many technical terms) for public, they also came up with quizzes to help aid understanding.
This user-friendly site is easily accessible and does not require any registration nor log-ins. All information are accessible for free. This site is easy to use and there is a wide range of relevant links related to HIV and Aids. Complement this with their list of headings and sub-headings, which are listed vertically at the left side of each page and informations are well classified under each appropriate headings/sub-headings, makes it easy to navigate around the website
In the case where users cannot find the information that they are looking for, this site provides a site index which acts as a guide to aid them in finding the information they want. Also provided in this well-covered website is; the 'Events Calendar', which states the events that have been planned for the coming months, and the latest publications on AIDS/HIV, for interested users.
To sum things up, my first impression of this website is that it is a user-friendly website which allows the user easy navigation. What makes this website even better is that it is also hassle-free(does not require registration nor log-ins) and the information is well-classified and detailed.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Practical 3: Purpose of Resources
Description and evaluation of the purposes of 4 resources
Resource 1 & 2: http://app.mti.gov.sg/default.asp?id=585 & http://www.singaporeintegratedresorts.com.sg/gov/
Purpose: Information
Reason: Provides data from the government and organisations
Resource 3: http://www.getforme.com/previous2007/160407_impactofthetwointegratedresortsin2010_more.htm
Purpose: Personal
Reason: Designed by individual for different reasons and site consists of a wide range of topics in random nature
Resource 4: http://www.wildsingapore.com/sos/saynov.htm
Purpose: Advocacy
Reason: This site promote causes and actively campaign for people to give support to the issue selected, influencing their opinions as well
Resource 1 & 2: http://app.mti.gov.sg/default.asp?id=585 & http://www.singaporeintegratedresorts.com.sg/gov/
Purpose: Information
Reason: Provides data from the government and organisations
Resource 3: http://www.getforme.com/previous2007/160407_impactofthetwointegratedresortsin2010_more.htm
Purpose: Personal
Reason: Designed by individual for different reasons and site consists of a wide range of topics in random nature
Resource 4: http://www.wildsingapore.com/sos/saynov.htm
Purpose: Advocacy
Reason: This site promote causes and actively campaign for people to give support to the issue selected, influencing their opinions as well
Practical 4 & 5: Search Facilities
Subject Directory (Galaxy)
Galaxy, has the worse page design of the 3 engines (Yahoo, Metacrawler and Galaxy). This is due to its complicated webpage design at its homepage. To a non familiar user, he may be put off as there are too many words on one page, giving it a non-user friendly look at first sight. This may affect and turn some new users away instantly.
The galaxy interface appears exhaustive however, if the user keys in certain key words such as "racism impact" in search field, the data wanted cannot be found. Instead, what appears would be racism issues unrelated to soccer even though the option search only within soccer directory is selected.
Meta Search Engine (Metacrawler)
The metacrawler allows for searches across a variety of search engines and provides you with the best each has to offer.
One plus point that the metacrawler has over the other 2 engines is that it also allows you to track and display your 15 most recent searches at the right hand column of your search results display for easy return to your previous topic.
The metacrawler provides useful interface for audio/video. However, it does not support search for chinese (in pinyin). The metacrawler also lack focus; it does not allow users to target search in Singapore only.
Search Engine (Yahoo)
Yahoo supports chinese search in both pinyin and chinese characters. They are still the most efficient in terms of search, as they are a household name that is customized for local use.
The website places more emphasis on a lively web design and its user-friendliness. The more popular graphics and links are placed strategically, telling users that they know what the users want. Yahoo also allows for searches by different locations. (eg. Only Singapore, All Web)
Galaxy, has the worse page design of the 3 engines (Yahoo, Metacrawler and Galaxy). This is due to its complicated webpage design at its homepage. To a non familiar user, he may be put off as there are too many words on one page, giving it a non-user friendly look at first sight. This may affect and turn some new users away instantly.
The galaxy interface appears exhaustive however, if the user keys in certain key words such as "racism impact" in search field, the data wanted cannot be found. Instead, what appears would be racism issues unrelated to soccer even though the option search only within soccer directory is selected.
Meta Search Engine (Metacrawler)
The metacrawler allows for searches across a variety of search engines and provides you with the best each has to offer.
One plus point that the metacrawler has over the other 2 engines is that it also allows you to track and display your 15 most recent searches at the right hand column of your search results display for easy return to your previous topic.
The metacrawler provides useful interface for audio/video. However, it does not support search for chinese (in pinyin). The metacrawler also lack focus; it does not allow users to target search in Singapore only.
Search Engine (Yahoo)
Yahoo supports chinese search in both pinyin and chinese characters. They are still the most efficient in terms of search, as they are a household name that is customized for local use.
The website places more emphasis on a lively web design and its user-friendliness. The more popular graphics and links are placed strategically, telling users that they know what the users want. Yahoo also allows for searches by different locations. (eg. Only Singapore, All Web)
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